Article 7.4. Work Experience Education Program Reviews of California Education Code >> Division 4. >> Title 2. >> Part 28. >> Chapter 5. >> Article 7.4.

The Legislature hereby finds and declares that work experience education is an integral part of the total educational process of pupils, and that work experience education can provide opportunities for pupils to acquire lifelong employability skills, as well as opportunities for pupils to develop general and specific occupational skills. The Legislature recognizes that there is a need to provide for the review of work experience education programs offered by school districts offering these programs at least once every three years, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction. It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this article to establish a mechanism for the review and improvement of work experience education programs offered in the public schools to ensure that pupils receive high quality instruction. It is further the intent of the Legislature to establish a system whereby school districts and county offices of education may form consortia for purposes of conducting quality reviews of work experience education programs and for the sharing of information, resources, and technical assistance.

The governing board of each school district offering work experience education programs may elect to provide for independent onsite program review of work experience education programs at least once every three years in the district offering these programs. If the governing board elects to provide for an independent onsite program review, it shall not be required to participate in the federally required consolidated compliance review conducted by the State Department of Education.

(a) For purposes of facilitating the program reviews required by Section 51776, the governing boards of two or more school districts may agree to establish a consortium of participating school districts. The Superintendent of Public Instruction may determine whether the size of a school district would be counterproductive to the establishment of a consortium with that school district and another school district, thereby making it advisable that the school district is reviewed by its own certified program reviewers. In cases in which the Superintendent of Public Instruction has determined that the onsite review shall be conducted by certified program reviewers from that district, the reviewers may conduct reviews in any school of the district other than the school in which they are employed. In all other onsite reviews, the reviews shall not be conducted by persons who are employed by the district.
  (b) Each consortium shall maintain a list of available certified program reviewers submitted by participating school districts.
  (c) Trained members of each consortium shall review work experience education programs in participating school districts. A report on the results of the review shall be submitted to the governing board of the school district, the State Department of Education, and the Work Experience Education Consortia Steering Committee established under Section 51778.

(a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction shall establish a Work Experience Education Consortia Steering Committee comprised of certificated representatives of consortia of school districts established under this article. The steering committee, in consultation with the superintendent, utilizing applicable program standards and regulations regarding work experience education programs shall develop all of the following materials:
  (1) Program quality indicators.
  (2) Training materials.
  (3) Guide books.
  (4) Program review reports.
  (b) The Work Experience Education Consortia Steering Committee shall contract with appropriate personnel to conduct in-service training programs for work experience education teachers and coordinators who will be conducting schoolsite reviews of work experience education programs. The training shall include, but is not necessarily limited to, all of the following:
  (1) A program quality review instrument.
  (2) The compliance review instrument developed by the department.
  (3) Reporting and review materials.
  (4) Program review methodologies.
  (5) The preparation of summary reports. Only persons who have been certified by the steering committee as having completed the training program shall be eligible to conduct work experience education program quality reviews.
  (c) Utilizing the compliance review instrument described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b), the advisory committee shall recommend a followup review for schools that have not met a prescribed number of the work experience education compliance criteria. The followup review required by this subdivision shall be conducted within one year of the initial review.